Wa West Member of Parliament (MP), Peter Lanchene Toobu, has opened up on the downside of his political career after leaving the Ghana Police Service.
The former Executive Secretary to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) has revealed he lost a lot of friends after deciding to join politics.
The astute former Police Superintendent has said his decision was borne out of passion to contribute to the human and socio-economic development in Wa West.
“To serve your nation in a different capacity as a member of Parliament is one thing I have always wanted the opportunity to to speak about and advise people. I lost so many friends.
“Commissioners called me and some were like, you don’t have to do this. You are the I. And I was even hoping that if I became IGP, you continue to serve me. I said, I’ve done three already and I think that it’s time for me to also do something new. And this is a call. It doesn’t matter what you do,” he said.
But many did not take that lightly, especially because of his political affiliation.
“The family is core in our lives. If family calls, have respect that the is calling is to put me in the in the perspective that is national in character, that they want me to become a member of Parliament and to serve them.
“So I responded to that call positively, and I lost a lot of friends because the people were like, oh, now he’s NDC. We used to be friends. I don’t support the NDC party. So he’s no longer my friend, right? And I felt so sad. And people say, oh, now he’s NDC. I didn’t know that he could even become part of this party,” he disclosed in an interview on Accra-based 3FM.
According to him, he had paid his dues in the Police Service and needed to focus elsewhere.
“People come to the office of the IGP and it’s like, God put you here to help me. I was so shocked that you did this to me without even knowing me. I said, I am an administrator and I sit in the highest office. What I do is to ensure that police operations strive well in the field. People who are in the field running helter-skelter trying to bring crime under control.
“When I find myself in the office, I should play my role to the point that you will feel very comfortable in the field. And that is exactly what I was doing. I don’t need to know. You physically know I need to know you per record and your records will handle said that you are encouraged out there to work. When I left, a lot of them got disappointed,” he added.
However, Mr Toobu said he is grateful to God new friends have come his way in his political endeavour.
“As I lost many, I gained many. So I think that as a politician for the past three years, I’ve made some very new friends and I’ve consolidated my hold on some old friends who believe that. Listen, it’s all about the vision of people and change, right?
“Where do you want to go? To ours. Where do you want to go in your own life? How do you influence society with the little time that you have in this world, after how many years I was going to leave? Time is running against us. All of us should rise up and do something for this country. Don’t wait and say tomorrow. Procrastination is the thief of time,” he stated.
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